Many companies have proposed services for selling products on the Internet. One such service involves offering software tools to create, host, and manage a Web site and a Web-based store to perform transactions over the Internet.
Included in the service is support for credit card purchases over the Internet. When an end user registers for the service, he/she is assigned a personal identification number as a proxy for his/her credit card number. To make a purchase over the Internet, the end user enters the personal identification number into his/her personal computer. The personal computer, in turn, communicates the personal identification number to a Web-based merchant via the Internet. The purchase is made based on the personal identification number rather than a credit card number.
Advantageously, the use of the personal identification number prevents an interception of the end user's credit card number by unauthorized parties. A drawback of using a personal identification number is that many individuals currently have other personal identification numbers and passwords to remember. Additionally, the interception of the end user's personal identification number can result in transactions by unauthorized parties. Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods, systems, and devices for Internet transactions.